﻿THE 
  FIRST 
  ALASKAN 
  AIR 
  EXPEDITION 
  

  

  517 
  

  

  Photograph 
  by 
  U. 
  S. 
  Air 
  Service 
  

  

  THE 
  PEOPLE 
  OP 
  SASKATOON 
  HAD 
  NEVER 
  SEEN 
  MACHINES 
  OP 
  THIS 
  TYPE 
  

  

  At 
  first 
  the 
  citizens 
  of 
  the 
  hospitable 
  Canadian 
  town 
  were 
  given 
  permission 
  to 
  inspect 
  

   the 
  airplanes, 
  but 
  soon 
  the 
  crowd 
  became 
  so 
  dense 
  that 
  the 
  airmen 
  could 
  not 
  proceed 
  with 
  

   their 
  work 
  of 
  overhauling 
  (see 
  text, 
  page 
  515). 
  

  

  Lake 
  Manitou, 
  another 
  beautiful 
  body 
  

   of 
  water, 
  soon 
  appeared 
  below 
  our 
  wings. 
  

   One 
  wondered 
  why 
  such 
  an 
  exceptional 
  

   summer 
  resort 
  is 
  going 
  to 
  waste. 
  Fully 
  

   20 
  miles 
  wide 
  in 
  places, 
  several 
  large 
  

   islands 
  with 
  beaches 
  of 
  white 
  sand 
  dotted 
  

   its 
  surface. 
  

  

  From 
  this 
  lake 
  we 
  followed 
  the 
  valley 
  

   of 
  Battle 
  River 
  for 
  50 
  miles, 
  leaving 
  it 
  

   when 
  Beaver 
  Hills 
  Lake 
  was 
  sighted. 
  

   This 
  lake 
  proved 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  shallow 
  body 
  of 
  

   water 
  with 
  marshy 
  banks. 
  

  

  Enormous 
  and 
  well 
  cultivated 
  fields 
  ex- 
  

   tend 
  over 
  this 
  entire 
  area, 
  unbroken 
  until 
  

   some 
  35 
  miles 
  from 
  Edmonton, 
  when 
  the 
  

   ground 
  was 
  again 
  covered 
  with 
  muskeg, 
  

   lagoons, 
  and 
  small 
  lakes. 
  Just 
  before 
  

   reaching 
  Edmonton 
  we 
  saw 
  the 
  first 
  pine 
  

   and 
  spruce 
  timber, 
  bordering 
  the 
  river 
  

   for 
  about 
  five 
  miles 
  on 
  each 
  side. 
  

  

  COLD-WEATHER 
  SUPPLIES 
  OBTAINED 
  AT 
  

   EDMONTON 
  

  

  Circling 
  the 
  city 
  of 
  Edmonton 
  and 
  tak- 
  

   ing 
  several 
  pictures 
  from 
  different 
  sides, 
  

   we 
  landed 
  on 
  a 
  field 
  in 
  the 
  northeast 
  sec- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  the 
  city, 
  only 
  to 
  find 
  that 
  we 
  had 
  

   picked 
  the 
  wrong 
  field. 
  We 
  had 
  sent 
  

   ahead 
  for 
  fuel, 
  and 
  this 
  and 
  the 
  city 
  

   fathers 
  were 
  awaiting 
  us 
  on 
  the 
  other 
  

   field. 
  Apologizing 
  for 
  our 
  mistake, 
  we 
  

   again 
  took 
  off 
  and 
  landed 
  at 
  the 
  spot 
  pre- 
  

   pared 
  for 
  us, 
  where 
  we 
  found 
  awaiting 
  us 
  

   several 
  thousand 
  people. 
  Among 
  them 
  

   were 
  the 
  members 
  of 
  the 
  Edmonton 
  

  

  Board 
  of 
  Trade, 
  who 
  pressed 
  us 
  to 
  come 
  

   at 
  once 
  into 
  town 
  for 
  luncheon. 
  We 
  com- 
  

   promised 
  by 
  accepting 
  an 
  invitation 
  to 
  

   supper 
  at 
  7:30. 
  In 
  the 
  meantime 
  sand- 
  

   wiches 
  and 
  coffee 
  were 
  brought 
  to 
  us 
  and 
  

   we 
  proceeded 
  with 
  our 
  repairs. 
  

  

  Lieutenant 
  Nutt 
  had 
  broken 
  a 
  wing 
  

   skid 
  and 
  bent 
  his 
  right 
  aileron 
  horn 
  on 
  

   the 
  second 
  landing. 
  My 
  machine 
  had 
  

   sprung 
  a 
  leak 
  in 
  the 
  gas 
  tank. 
  Many 
  

   minor 
  repairs 
  were 
  necessary, 
  so 
  we 
  de- 
  

   cided 
  to 
  stay 
  over 
  at 
  Edmonton 
  until 
  a 
  

   thorough 
  overhauling 
  of 
  the 
  airplanes 
  

   was 
  completed. 
  We 
  were 
  at 
  the 
  jumping- 
  

   off 
  place 
  now, 
  facing 
  sparsely 
  settled, 
  

   mountainous 
  country. 
  

  

  Edmonton 
  is 
  a 
  city 
  of 
  70,000 
  popula- 
  

   tion 
  and 
  is 
  the 
  metropolis 
  of 
  this 
  section. 
  

   The 
  country 
  about 
  here 
  is 
  rich 
  in 
  coal 
  

   and 
  probably 
  oil. 
  A 
  new 
  railroad, 
  being 
  

   laid 
  northward 
  to 
  the 
  Peace 
  River 
  sec- 
  

   tion, 
  will 
  lay 
  open 
  the 
  tremendous 
  re- 
  

   sources 
  of 
  another 
  rich 
  region. 
  

  

  Jasper, 
  our 
  next 
  objective, 
  lay 
  197 
  

   miles 
  deeper 
  in 
  the 
  mountainous 
  country. 
  

   From 
  now 
  on 
  it 
  would 
  be 
  necessary 
  to 
  

   move 
  with 
  the 
  greatest 
  caution. 
  

  

  Old 
  settlers 
  in 
  Edmonton 
  gave 
  us 
  re- 
  

   assuring 
  data 
  concerning 
  the 
  route 
  ahead. 
  

   We 
  neglected 
  no 
  opportunities 
  to 
  learn 
  

   every 
  fact 
  available 
  about 
  the 
  terrain, 
  the 
  

   climate, 
  the 
  landmarks 
  for 
  guidance, 
  the 
  

   height 
  of 
  the 
  mountains 
  we 
  had 
  to 
  pass. 
  

   and 
  the 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  landing 
  fields 
  

  

  